Interface apparency
Encyclopedia
Interface apparency refers to the degree to which the user interface
enables a user to understand hidden contingencies within a computer system; in other words, how easy it is for a person coming upon an interface (a website, a computer program, or a kiosk) to understand the sequence of steps to perform a complex action using that interface.
Spatial visualization ability
helps to predict which users will be bothered by low levels of apparency in an interface; the higher a person’s spatial visualization ability, the less trouble he or she will have with an interface with hidden dependencies.
(1998) define interface apparency as visually showing hidden relationships in the interface. In situations where certain options are unavailable or greyed-out, it may be unclear what circumstances would allow those options to be available. For instance, if one is using a text editor, the “Delete” option may be unavailable because no text is selected, or if no text is on the clipboard, “Paste” may be greyed-out.
should improve performance for all users.
User interface
The user interface, in the industrial design field of human–machine interaction, is the space where interaction between humans and machines occurs. The goal of interaction between a human and a machine at the user interface is effective operation and control of the machine, and feedback from the...
enables a user to understand hidden contingencies within a computer system; in other words, how easy it is for a person coming upon an interface (a website, a computer program, or a kiosk) to understand the sequence of steps to perform a complex action using that interface.
Spatial visualization ability
Spatial Visualization Ability
Spatial visualization ability or Visual-spatial ability is the ability to mentally manipulate 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional figures. It is typically measured with simple cognitive tests and is predictive of user performance with some kinds of user interfaces.-Measurement:The cognitive tests used...
helps to predict which users will be bothered by low levels of apparency in an interface; the higher a person’s spatial visualization ability, the less trouble he or she will have with an interface with hidden dependencies.
Introduction
Alonso and NormanKent Norman
Kent L. Norman is an American cognitive psychologist and an expert on Computer Rage. He graduated from Southern Methodist University in 1969 and earned a Ph.D...
(1998) define interface apparency as visually showing hidden relationships in the interface. In situations where certain options are unavailable or greyed-out, it may be unclear what circumstances would allow those options to be available. For instance, if one is using a text editor, the “Delete” option may be unavailable because no text is selected, or if no text is on the clipboard, “Paste” may be greyed-out.
Recommendations
Having hidden dependencies between actions in an application is generally a bad idea; increasing the apparency of a website or piece of application softwareApplication software
Application software, also known as an application or an "app", is computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks. Examples include enterprise software, accounting software, office suites, graphics software and media players. Many application programs deal principally with...
should improve performance for all users.